Container for cigarettes and the like



Patented May 22, 1 323.,

Ltttfititt PATENT QFFEQEQ GILBERT L. JOHNSTONE, OF IJIANHASSET, NEW' YORK.

CONTAINER FDR CIGARETTES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed November 5, 1820. Serial No. 421,831.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GILBERT L. JOHN- sToNn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manhasset, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Containers for Cigarettes and the like, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention has general reference to containers constructed of flexible or non-rigid material, such as paper, cardboard, or the like, each intended to contain a single article or a plurality of articles; but has more specific reference to containers of this general type which are particularly adapted to serve as receptacles for elongated articles of substantially circular or oval cross-section, such as cigarettes, cigars and the like, and to the blanks from which such containers are made.

In the manufacture of containers such as those to which I now refer, and particularly those of the cup type intended to be associated with either wrappers or linings, or both, of paper, tin foil,vor the like, especial difiiculties have been experienced heretofore in the efforts that have been made to produce such containers in sizes adapted for a small number of relatively small articles, as, for example ten cigarettes, without too great cost of manufacture, and waste or excessive use of material in theprocess of manufacture; also in the efforts to devise means for facilitating removal of the contents. of the containers for use.

The principal object of my present invention is to. overcome the foregoing difficul ties, and to provide a container of the type referred to which is formed from a blank that is so designed that there is little or no waste of stock in cutting; which readily may be folded and secured in its finished form by automatic machinery; and which includes special provision forthe ready removal of the contents of the container whenever desired.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention disclosed herein will be apparent from'the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l'is a perspective view showing the open end of the container after it has been formed by folding the blank;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but showing the closed end of the container;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank before being folded;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the blank as partly folded, before the longitudinal side flaps have been turned in toward each other;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the closed end of the partly-folded blank shown in Figs;

Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary detail views of the end portion of the blank, each showing a modification of the flap for facilitating removal of the contents of the container. v I

"While I have selected for purposes of illustration a cup-box form of container having only one of its ends closed, it is manifest that any desired form of closure for the ther end may be added without affecting the invention intended to be disclosed herein. And it is likewise apparent that, instead of the substantially semi-circular form of tab at the closed end of the container, another shape may be substituted if desired.

g In the drawings, the blank 6 is shown as being rectangular in form, and as having impressed therein two longitudinal scores 7 and 8, two transverse scores 9 and 10, and

four small diagonal scores 11, 12, 13 and 14.,

At 15 the blank is out completely through to form a substantially semicircular tab, which, however, preferably is not cut away from the blank at 16, but the cut. is interrupted at that point so as to hold the tab in place and prevent its springing out in either direction when the container is formed, or when it is filled, while at the same time permitting easy rupture of the connection at 16 when it is desired to push the contents from the container. The ends of the cut at 15 preferably extend a short distance beyond the transverse score 10, and said ends are con nected by a short transverse score 17 In the modifications illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, the ends of the cuts 15 and 15 do not extend beyond either of the transverse scores, Fig. 6 showing the tab as being hinged at score 10 only, while in Fig. 7 the score 17 at which the tab is hinged is located between the transverse scores 9* and 10.

In folding a blank to form a container,

Whether the folding be done by hand or by .machinery, end portions 18 and 19 are labels may turned toward each other on the lines of the scores 9 and 10, respectively, until they assume the positions indicated in Figsi at and 5; the portions 20 and 21 are turned toward each other 'on the lines of the scores 7, 11 and 12, and 8, l3 and 14:, respectively, to posi tions such as indicated in Fig. 4; marginal flaps 22 and 24, and 23 and 25, are turned onthe linesof the scores 7 and 8, respectively, until flaps 22 and 24% overlap,-and partly cover the portion 20 of the blank, and flaps 23 and 25 overlap, and partly cover the portion 21, as indicated in"Figs. l and'2;tlie operation of forming the container is completed by securing flaps 22 and24, 'and 23 and 25, together in any preferred manner, as by: the use of an adhesiveysuch as glueor paste.- I

"The; containers thus formed are'comrnonly put into use by inserting in each thereof the intended nun iber of cigarettes or other articles, preferably Wrapped in tin'fdi'l, prepared paper or the like, to form a package" Which is closed at bothends'b'y the Wrapping material. Ordinarily, any desired printed matterjis placed upon the blankbeforeithe container is formed therefrom, or be placed upon the containers after they are formed.

When it is desired to remove one of the cigarettes or'other articles 'from the co1itainer,the tab at 15 ispressed upon, thereby rupturing the oonnectionat 16, and the tab is, pushed inward suificiently to permit ready access to the contents of the container at its open end. Since, in its preferred form, the

tab is movable on the lines e f bo'th of the scores 10 and 17, itsmovement tov'var d'the interior of the contai'ner and its return to initial position are greatly facilitated'either of said movements resulting in thebendi'ng of the tab in opposite directions on the lines of the scores 10 and 17 Manifestly, the movements ofthe'tab thus provided for are quite different, and are appreciably more free from frictional resistance, than is the case if either ofsaidscores is omittech or the ends of the cut at 15 do not'eXtend be yond score 10. Also, it willbenoted in connection with the preferred form of the tab that the opening formed by the cut at the closed end of the container may be rescaled to as great an extent as necessary by pushQ ing the partially ejectecl contents partly back into place, Without the necessity for returning them all the Way'to their initial position. Thisis due tothe double hinging of the'ta'b, and is a result that is not secured With the modified arrangements of 'thetab shown in Figs'. 6 and 7.

' Various modifications of details ofn yi proved container and of the blankthereforl will doubtless suggest themselves to those 'cated between 'saidscores in the space deskilled in this art, and I therefore do not desire to limit myself to the exact construction shown and described. I

I claim as my invention, and seek to secure by Letters Patent, v the following i l. A blank for a container comprising a sheet of material having scores formed therein to define an end portion of the container, and a partiallydetached portion 10 with said'end portio i '3. A blank for acontainer "comprising s e of te a was s sr s farmed thereintodefine an end portion rj heeem ta'iner, a partially detached portion located,

be w n sa d sca s is h -Spac ned h e yto, se ash iillsh nstab; su Pbtion extending beyond one ot'said scores, and a score locat'eclputs'ide the space de;

fined by said otherscores on said'tab I V is movable. s v s 'o 4. A package of cigarettes or the like formed from a sheetfof materialhayiiig" scores formed thereon extending between .qp-

posite margins thereof to efine f eiid portion of the package, and a partially "deihe part snrlo at d be -we n an $9 1 n" t pa e ned h eby. to er e as:

s' ab; rebyv e Pr ssure isexa, s

ert'ed o'n the the eig'arettes or the like Whose ends rest on the said tab be moved'longitudinally. 1 5! A P age" gar tte a d e l ke p g' body r itis aim a d ta-:-

tion, said end portion beingicut to define-fa parti'ally deta ched pushi gtab H ovabl'e inw d y to e ert a p s ax n he en s a the cigarettes to movethe' same out'of said cvoii, tainer. it V 6. container for'cigarette's and-the like comprisinga body portion and an endpo'jrl-i tion, said end portion being cu t'to defines pushing movable -in\yardly to eizert a P s upo the C ga ttes to, more he same, a out or said containensaid"bo dypertion he ing cut to define an extension ofisaidtab foldablerel atively thereto., I

A eil or ci arettes an some comprising a "b d P rt Qn ad a nd. PQ tion, said end portion being'cu tdefinefa Push a m ab e inw d y" t et a push upon the cigarettes'to move the/same 130 out of said container, said body portion being out to define an extension of said tab foldab-le relatively thereto and having a score to define one end of said tab and to facilitate the pivotal movements of the combined tab and its extension.

8. A container for cigarettes and the like comprising a body portion and an end portion, said end portion being cut to define a pushing tab movable inwardly to exert a push upon the cigarettes to move the same out of said container, said out being such as to initially maintain said tab in easily ruptured connection With said end portion, and said body portion being out to define an extension of said tab foldable relatively thereto.

GILBERT L. J OHNSTONE. 

